Aaron Boone secured his place in Yankees lore with one of the most indelible home runs in franchise history. Now, at 44, he can build on that legacy as a rookie manager for the team.

The Yankees chose Boone as their manager on Friday over five other candidates, according to a person with direct knowledge of the decision. The person was not authorized to discuss the move because the Yankees have not announced it.
General Manager Brian Cashman, who traded for Boone down the stretch in 2003, recommended him as the manager to Hal Steinbrenner, the Yankees’ managing general partner. Steinbrenner approved, giving Boone his first managing job at any level. He had been a broadcaster for ESPN since 2010.

Boone will replace Joe Girardi, who went 910-710 in 10 years as Yankees manager and led the team to its most recent championship, in 2009. Girardi had already been a major league coach and manager when he replaced Joe Torre a decade ago. Boone has not been in uniform since retiring as a player eight years ago, but his hiring continues a trend around the majors.

More and more, managers are hired with little to no experience in the job. The role has evolved to become a more direct conduit to the front office, with increasing emphasis on tying decisions about lineups and strategies decisions to analytics.

The pennant winners from the past two seasons — the Houston Astros, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians — are among the teams that lean heavily on this dynamic. Even so, all of those teams employ managers who had previous experience, at least as a coach.

“Look, obviously, experience is very valuable and should be a check mark for somebody,” Boone told reporters in a conference call after his interview with the Yankees. “In a way, I’ve been preparing for this job my entire life. I’ve been going to the ballpark since I was 3 or 4 years old.”

Boone is part of a three-generation baseball family. His grandfather Ray Boone was an infielder for six teams from 1948 through 1960. and his father, Bob, was one of the most durable catchers in major league history, lasting from 1972 through 1990. His older brother, Bret, was a three-time All-Star second baseman, playing from 1992 through 2005.